Considerations to Make When Your Home Needs Electrical Work

When it comes to having electrical work done in your home, chances are you have some idea as to why we recommend professional work, only. The fact of the matter is, electricity can be dangerous! If your wiring job is done poorly or incorrectly, you could be facing electrocution risks as well as fire risks.

Not to mention, if you try to install or fix your own wiring, or trust the job to an inexperienced handyman rather than professional HVAC contractors & electricians in Spokane, WA, you may end up with disconnected or misconnected appliances and electrical equipment anyway. When deciding on which pro to hire for your electrical work, consider the following things that can go wrong if you don’t.

Poorly Done Wiring, or Damaged Wiring

Something as seemingly minor as a misplaced staple can cause considerable damage to your electrical wires. If staples are driven in too tightly, securing the wiring to the beam or stud where it’s installed, then it can cause the wire to break down. This not only renders any electrical appliances or fixtures attached to that wiring useless, but it creates a safety hazard as well.

Wrong Size Wiring

This is something that most homeowners don’t even think about when it comes to electrical installations. But if your wiring is too thin for its intended purpose, then it will carry more current than it was meant to, overloading it. Generally speaking, the thicker your wires are, the more current they can safely carry. Just like poor staple placement, this can also create a fire hazard.

Take notice if your wires, or the wall switch connected to those wires, feel warm to the touch when the switch or electrical appliance is on. If so, it could very well be due to a sizing issue.

Exposed Wiring

If left uncovered, and therefore unprotected, your wiring can become damaged fairly easily, due to weather conditions or any sort of tampering—even if it was unintentional. The most common cause of this we see among our customers is in the case of an uncovered electrical panel or power box located on the outside of their property.

Not only does this pose a safety risk, but you could find yourself with a whole-home power outage as well, which is not something you want to deal with any time of the year, let alone as we approach the fall and winter months where you’ll be pretty reliant on your heating system.

Loose Connections

Safe wiring jobs require tight electrical connections. Without this, your system can suffer from arcing and overheating—both of which lead to fires and injury. Our experienced electricians can properly choose a connector that fits those particular wires.

Violation of Building Codes

When doing any type of work in the home, whether it’s a massive remodel or small rewiring job, most homeowners don’t consider the building codes in their neighborhood and community. We wouldn’t expect you to think of this, but it is certainly important. You could find after installation that you unintentionally violated a building code, and therefore have to redo the job or get fined when you sell your home.

ACI Northwest is here to help with your home comfort needs or concerns. Please do not hesitate to contact us for helpful advice.